Check out this article in The Bakersfield Californian by Julie Plata, faculty at Cerro Coso Community College, about Black History Month and its beginnings – did you know that before Black History Month was celebrated nationwide, Bakersfield began honoring Black History Week?
Carter G. Woodson began the idea in 1926, choosing a week in February because of the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and Frederick Douglass on February 14.
His idea didn’t take hold nationwide until February 1970, when the first Black History Month was celebrated (President Gerald Ford declared it a national observance in 1976).
But in 1953, Bakersfield Mayor Frank Sullivan joined mayors across the country honoring the celebration on a city level, and he issued a proclamation officially acknowledging Feb. 15 to 20 as Black History Week.
“Beginning today, citizens of Bakersfield and surrounding areas are asked to join the nation in giving recognition and showing appreciation” for both the efforts of African Americans and their contributions “in the fields of religion, education, science, music, art, law, entertainment, athletic and national leadership.
Today, our KCCD colleges celebrate Black History Month with resources and events: At Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, and Porterville College.
Good morning, friends…
It is February 5, 2022.
The sun shines bright over KCCD.
This week, the Pirates, the Coyotes, and the Renegades continue to
#DareMightyThings
Porterville College
Baseball puts first win of 2022 on the board against Barstow
It may not have been the perfect start to the season that new Porterville College head coach J.L. Buchanan envisioned. After taking over the program in late 2020, Buchanan and the Pirates were unable to play in 2021 because of the pandemic. But after making the long-awaited return to the field (for the first time since March 2020) with a disappointing opening day loss, the Pirates rallied in their next outing to bring home the first win for the Pirates under Buchanan with an 11-2 win over Barstow Community College on Saturday, January 30, 2021.
Porterville’s bats came alive on Saturday as the Pirates totaled 12 hits, including three from Luca Dincola. He went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI to lead PC at the plate.
Dincola’s two-run single in the bottom of the third inning scored Chris Ortega and Daniel Clancy with the go-ahead runs. The Pirates went on to score five runs in the third to erase an early 2-1 deficit.
J.T. Edmunds also had a big game at the plate, going 2 for 2 with 2 RBI and a pair of walks from the lead-off spot. Tyson Tellez (2 for 3) added two hits and drove in a run.
Aaron Hernandez pitched well in the start. He allowed two runs and three hits over four innings. He struck out 7 and walked four. Ryan Blondell picked up the win in relief as he closed out the contest with five dominant innings. He struck out 10 and walked two.
PC, returns to action on Tuesday (Feb. 8) when the Pirates hit our home field again for a 1 p.m. game.
ASPC has important discussions with new “Mental Health Mondays” project
The PC Student Government organization, known as the Associated Students of PC (ASPC) has started posting a new series of videos on Instagram they are calling Mental Health Mondays.
In this series, they plan to bring awareness to mental health issues at Porterville College by sharing their own experiences, by discussing solutions to everyday problems, and by having conversations on important issues and hardships faced by students every day at PC.
Each Monday, the group plans to share videos that relate to mental health awareness in some way. ASPC President Carlos Rodrigues hopes that other students will jump into the conversation and help others just by engaging with the Porterville College student life community.
Rodrigues recently kicked off the series with a video of his own. He was joined in the following week by ASPC Vice President, Lorena Villa. Each shared their story in hopes that someone would relate to their journey and know that there is hope and help at PC.
Every Monday, we will see new video testimonials, discussions, tips and more on this very important topic. Videos will be posted to the PCStudentLife Instagram account. If you would like to see more, you can follow PCStudentLife on Instagram or watch one of the videos below.
PC Celebrates Black History with events and offerings throughout February
Porterville College is joining in the Black History Month celebration with several events and offerings in February, including:
February 17th at 1pm:
Join us for a discussion on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as we present: “Real Talk”, a Black History Month Panel Discussion from the PC Family.
February 24th (time TBA):
Join us for a thoughtful discussion from Guest Speaker, Student Mentor, and Ph.D., Dr. Edward Bush.
All Month Long:
Visit our Black History Month Website at https://www.portervillecollege.edu/celebrating-black-history for a curated collection of media content, articles, and information that explores the diverse culture and contributions of African Americans throughout history.
From PC TimelyCare:
We are excited to offer two special yoga and meditation sessions for Black History Month. These sessions, which are FREE to all students, serve to create a safe space for Black students and allies, while also celebrating Black professionals in health and well-being. We can’t wait to see you there! You can register for these sessions HERE.
For more information on these and other Black History Month events, please visit https://www.portervillecollege.edu/celebrating-black-history or follow @pcstudentlife on Instagram.
Cerro Coso Community College
Collaboration Equals Innovation
Cerro Coso Community College and Bakersfield College hosted a student information session via Zoom last week to introduce students to the Medical Assisting program at Cerro Coso.
Jackie Stoner, Vanesa Hernandez and Kylie Campbell from Bakersfield College coordinated the event for BC students interested in health careers to assist them with exploring Cerro Coso’s online program.
Matthew Wanta led the information session along with BC’s Dean of Nursing, Carla Gard.
With a high demand for Medical Assistants in the Bakersfield area, Cerro Coso’s program is certainly gaining the attention of the Bakersfield community. Designed around the Model Curriculum established by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office for preparation for the State Exam for Medical Assistants (CCBMA), the program provides students with the opportunity to develop the necessary administrative and clinical skills not only needed to be an effective medical assistant, but also to attain state certification.
Terri Hack (CTE Career Counselor) and Jennifer Marshall (Job Development Specialist) also presented an overview of the student services available at Cerro Coso.
More than 100+ students were in attendance! Cerro Coso is excited to be able to launch another late-start cohort of Medical Assisting this spring.
Coyote Basketball Earns #2 Position in IEAC
Cerro Coso Basketball picked up another huge win on Wednesday as they traveled to Chaffey College to take on the Panthers in Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) conference play. Although the final score at 76-69 ended up closer than Coach Dugan would have preferred, the Coyotes maintained control of the game from the opening tip. As always, the talented Panthers kept the contest close through the first half, knotting the score up at 24-24, but an explosive Coyote offense returned for the second half by extending the lead to 20 points at times and never let go until the final buzzer. With the win, the Coyotes move to 16-4 overall and 7-2 in IEAC play. A Copper Mountain loss to SBVC on this night has also moved Cerro Coso into sole possession of second place. The current IEAC playoff race is as follows:
IEAC Men’s Basketball Standings:
- SBVC 7-1
- Cerro Coso 7-2
- Copper Mountain 6-2
- MSJC 5-3
The Coyotes currently control their own destiny, but Coach Dugan knows he will need to prepare the team for a tough finish, as they will host SBVC at home on February 9 and then travel to play Copper Mountain on February 16. Both contests are likely to hold playoff implications for all teams.
#Onlyus #MakeYourMark #HowlYes #CoyoteSpirit
Cerro Coso Admissions & Dream Act Workshop
The Cerro Coso Community College student body is made up of a variety of students from many different backgrounds. At Cerro Coso we honor and celebrate the wide variety of students we serve.
The College is holding an Admissions and Dream Act Workshop on Thursday, February 17th from 9 to 10:30 a.m. via Zoom to provide a step-by-step demonstration on how to apply to Cerro Coso Community College and the California Dream Act. Admissions Technician Jessica Kawelmacher will guide the demonstration and will be available to answer questions, she will share best practices for admissions and the AB 540 residency process, which includes undocumented students.
A Financial Aid representative will be available to provide an overview on the California Dream Act application. The California Dream Act is a state-based financial aid program for eligible undocumented students and can help ease the financial burden of attending college.
Cerro Coso Counselor Jesus Gaytan will also be available at the workshop to answer questions and translate information.
For more information on the admissions process at Cerro Coso contact the Admissions & Records Department at 760-384-6374. For information on the California Dream Act contact the college’s Financial Aid Department at 760-384-6221.
Bakersfield College
BC Expands Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Opportunities
Last December, Bakersfield College was accepted into a select cohort of 52 California Community Colleges to participate in the Military Articulation Platform (MAP), which allows colleges to create, approve, store, and adopt articulations that credit veterans for prior learning outside the classroom. Through this process, BC’s student veterans will get the credit they deserve, validating their experiences and learning completed while in the service.
Students who have acquired skills through military training, industry training, state/federal government training, apprenticeships, internships, work-based learning, or other industry-based experiential learning, validated volunteer and civic activities (e.g. Peace Corps) can be awarded credits toward their degree or certificate.
BC’s MAP offers specific credit in targeted college programs based on military occupation and zip code, and students can upload their JST (Joint Service Transcript) in MAP and immediately see the college credits they qualify for at regional MAP-enabled colleges. The MAP Cohort kick-off will begin in mid-February.
MAP is a statewide and multi-agency collaborative effort of the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC), the CCC Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), ACE, CalVet, and local and regional legislators.
To learn more about BC’s Credit for Prior Learning opportunities, visit the Credit for Prior Learning webpage.
Spot the Robot in the News and at the Condors
I shared about Spot the Robot, BC’s Industrial Automation program’s newest robot, in my January 22nd, 2022 blog. Sport was also the topic of a news story from KBAK EyeWitness News last week. Spot the Robot will continue making rounds about town with an appearance at The Condors game, Saturday February 12th at 7 p.m., for Robotics Night.
Industrial Automation (INDA) can be described as interconnected equipment, technology, and systems working together to maximize production, assure safety, use resources efficiently, and ensure product quality. BC offers a Certificate of Achievement, Associate’s Degree and Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Automation and Spot, along with other robots, play an important part of lessons. Find out more about the program and how you can apply on the BC website’s Industrial Automation Program.
CLCA Scholarships Awarded to BC Students
Two Bakersfield College Agriculture Students received scholarships from Kern County California Landscape Contractors Association (CLCA). The students were each presented with a $500 scholarship at the Kern County CLCA meeting last Thursday. A warm congratulations to Susan and Rose on their achievement!
Student Life and BCSGA Celebrate Cake Day
The Office of Student Life and BCSGA hosted a pop-up for National Chocolate Cake Day this past Thursday. Students enjoyed delicious chocolate cake treats and received information about the services offered by the Renegade Pantry. We had two full Welcome Weeks hosted by the Office of Student Life this year, and National Chocolate Cake Day was a sweet grand finale – the icing on the cake!
Renegade Innovation Fund
BC Employees, it’s time to submit your Renegade Innovation Fund application! The deadline is Monday, February 7th, 2022, by 12:00PM. The Renegade Innovation Fund was established to support student activities, classroom equipment, travel, and so much more, with a focus on INNOVATION. For more information on general guidelines, procedures, and reporting, as well as the application, please refer to the BC Foundation website.
If you have any questions, contact Alyssa Cross at alyssa.cross@bakersfieldcollege.edu.
Chancellor’s Seminar Series
Last week, we continued the Chancellor’s Seminar Series with “IT Infrastructure and How It All Works” on January 25. We heard from Todd Coston, Eddie Alvarado, Mike Campbell, Jay Navarrette, and Brett Redd as they talked about the ways IT works together to provide services throughout the district.
You can see videos from all the Chancellor’s Seminars at https://www.kccd.edu/chancellors-office/chancellors-seminar-series.
I also shared my Chancellor’s Brief. This brief focused on Adult Education:
Fun Photos & Spotted on Social Media
Porterville College professor Jonathan Hernandez shared this look at campus:
“Beautiful day in THE VILLE“
The Bakersfield College Renegade Room held its first service of the Spring 2022 semester:
PC President Claudia Habib posted this from last weekend’s vaccination clinic:
“Thank you California Farmworker Foundation and Adventist Health for hosting a vaccination clinic on campus today. There is still time to get your vaccinations or booster. Apoyando a nuestra comunidad ofreciendo vacunas contra el COVID.#MaskAndVax#BoosterDose @PCollegePirates“
The Renegade Chorus performed at the BC Women’s Basketball Game:
“Last night the Renegade Chorus sang the National Anthem at the BC Women’s Basketball game! We’ve only had two rehearsals so I am incredibly proud they would step up and learn the arrangement and be willing to give their time to do this. I love working with such amazing tenors and basses. Come and join us on Thursday nights at 5:45 pm!!! #realrenegadessing #bcrenegadechorus“
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That’s a wrap for now.
See you next Saturday!
The future is bright at KCCD.
-sonya
a joyful and grateful Chancellor
#KCCDDaringMightyThings
Tagged: #KCCDDaringMightyThings, Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso College, Kern Community College District, Porterville College, Sonya Christian
I really appreciate the Chancellor’s Seminars that introduce us to each other, e.g., the recent one on the various directors of the IT groups at the colleges and the DO. One of the “growth” areas of internal functioning of KCCD is the building/increasing of trust among the various components. The first step is getting to know the people involved—seeing and hearing them—and understanding how they help the colleges fulfill their mission (accreditation Standard I). Thank you for devoting the time to do this!
Hello from Washington DC. Thank you Nick for taking time to comment. I too enjoyed getting to see our IT colleagues who are usually behind the scenes.